Unemployed, para players to return awards to Punjab CM

Raj Sadosh
Abohar, June 18

Unemployed para national and international players of Punjab have decided to stage a dharna outside Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh on June 24 over the failure of the state to ensure government jobs to them. They will also return awards conferred on them by the state.

Sanjeev Kumar of Telupura village, a Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Sports Award recipient, will lead the protest.

PPCC president Sunil Jakhar had arranged his meeting with CM Capt Amarinder Singh on January 17, 2019, and recommended a job. Sanjeev even met Minister of Sports Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi four times, but nothing was done by the authorities.

Sanjeev, a para badminton player, has to his credit five gold, a silver and seven bronze medals in international events. Retaining his No. 1 position in the country since 2012, he has won 17 gold, five silver and three bronze medals in national para badminton competitions.

After his father retired from a government school in Khuyiansarwer village, making ends meet became difficult for the family.

Sanjeev said along with him, other differently abled sportspersons would also return the state’s most prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sports Award to the Chief Minister. In January 2019, when a protest was held by sportspersons outside CM’s residence, OSD Sandeep Singh Sandhu had assured that their grievances would be resolved, but to no avail.

Expressing anger, he said the state government made tall claims on the “Ghar-Ghar Rozgar” project, but could not arrange a few jobs for disabled sportspersons. He said: “By winning medals at the international level, we made Punjab proud, but the government has failed to come up with a policy that would ensure us jobs.”

Other para players and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Award recipients who are expected to join the dharna are Shripal, Baljinder, Ajay, Ranjit, Hardeep, Gurvinder, Mahavir, Suman and Arjuna Awardee Raj Kumar.